New app highlights northwest Houston community

By Jane Stueckemann

Updated
2:29 pm CDT, Monday, July 16, 2018

Houston Northwest Chamber of Commerce President Barbara Thomason shows off the new app that the chamber is having developed for the community at her office on May 29, 2018. (Jerry Baker/For the Chronicle)

Houston Northwest Chamber of Commerce President Barbara Thomason shows off the new app that the chamber is having developed for the community at her office on May 29, 2018. (Jerry Baker/For the Chronicle)

Photo: Jerry Baker, Freelance / For The Chronicle

Photo: Jerry Baker, Freelance / For The Chronicle

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Houston Northwest Chamber of Commerce President Barbara Thomason shows off the new app that the chamber is having developed for the community at her office on May 29, 2018. (Jerry Baker/For the Chronicle)

Houston Northwest Chamber of Commerce President Barbara Thomason shows off the new app that the chamber is having developed for the community at her office on May 29, 2018. (Jerry Baker/For the Chronicle)

Photo: Jerry Baker, Freelance / For The Chronicle

New app highlights northwest Houston community

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No longer a prototype, the Discover Houston Northwest app is officially up and running.

An event is planned July 25 for the Houston Northwest Chamber of Commerce to celebrate the launch of their app, which highlights the northwest Houston community.

“Houston is too big, and we as an area do not have a strong identity. People don’t know what to call us. This is a community app...it seems like this is the answer,” Thomason said.

The answer, according to Thomason, to reaching not just their chamber members, but the total community — especially in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

“The phone calls started coming in (after Hurricane Harvey). Not just from members, but from citizens wanting to know things,” Thomason said.

“It was a clear observation to us that there were communications coming from different sources. There was a lot of good information, but it was all over the place.”

So, the chamber contracted Bar-Z Mobile Development, of Austin, to design an app that centralizes community information.

Peter Coulter, Houston-area sales director for the development company, said that this is a way for communities to brand themselves.

The company has designed similar apps in the past.

For example, Bar-Z designed an app for the Grandbury, Hood County community. While the city has a population of only 10,000, Coulter said that the app has been downloaded 8,000 times.

“People who download (an app like this) come back between nine and 12 times per month, and spend 6 to 7 minutes on the app per visit,” Coulter said.

While Coulter said he doesn’t have specific numbers yet for Discover Houston Northwest, he said he thinks it will be received very well.

The app developer has populated the app with a database including businesses, schools and health care facilities. Some chamber members have also sponsored their sections.

Users are able to contact organizations via phone or online through links built in to the app.

According to a news release, Harris County Precinct 4 will also utilize the app’s push notification feature to communicate with county residents.

Thomason said she has high hopes that this will create unity across the largely unincorporated area.

“The app is another step in the process, not only to assist with emergency communication, but to assist us with branding the community,” Thomason said.